Grave Markers and Memorial Plaques
My responsibilities as curator for the collections of LancasterHistory not only include acquiring and cataloging objects but inventorying and monitoring objects already in our collections. Performing routine inventories allows us to verify the physical location of objects as well as the accuracy of catalog records. By physically going through the collection we get to learn more about the collection as a whole as well as specific objects. Sometimes we come across objects we know very little about. In those instances, research helps us to learn where they came from and what makes them unique. One of those items is a grave marker from the Order of United American Mechanics.
Grave Marker, Order of United American Mechanics
The front of this iron grave marker is decorated with the symbol of the Order of the United American Mechanics (O.U.A.M.) secret fraternal society. A small keystone-shaped insert at the base of the marker includes the number “67,” indicating it was intended for use by North Star Council #67 of Quarryville, Lancaster County. Molded into the back of the marker are two half loops. The threaded bottom half loop allows the marker to be attached to a corresponding threaded road placed in the ground. The smooth top half loop provides an opening for a flag to be attached.
The Order of United American Mechanics was a secret fraternal society founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1845. The O.U.A.M. was considered to be a Nativist organization and opposed immigration to the United States. Members of the O.U.A.M. were required to be male, white, and born in America. As with other fraternal organizations, the O.U.A.M. offered life, health, and related insurance products as well as a funeral benefit to its members. In 1853, the O.U.A.M. authorized the creation of a junior lodge, to be called the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. The J.O.U.A.M. soon outgrew the parent organization, which it absorbed sometime after declaring its independence from them in 1885.
The O.U.A.M. adopted many of the symbols and practices of Freemasonry although they were not associated with that group. Although undated, this marker most likely dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries.
The LancasterHistory research center contains a 1907 booklet detailing the policies and practices of the O.U.A.M., including the order’s constitution and rules of order. An appendix includes the specific by-laws for North Star Council #67. A bookplate on the inside front cover dated October 14, 1914 indicates the book was at one time the property of Council #67 member Marvin Ressel.

Grave Marker, Sons of Veterans of the United States of America
The front of this brass grave marker features an eagle over a round laurel leaf shield. The center of the shield is marked “SV” over the inscription “CAMP. No. 74.” Like the grave marker for the United American Mechanics, two half loops are molded into the back of the marker. The threaded bottom half loop allows the marker to be attached to a corresponding threaded road placed in the ground. The smooth top half loop provides an opening for a flag to be attached.
The SV abbreviation on the front of the marker is a standard abbreviation for Sons of Veterans of the United States of America, an organization founded in 1881 by members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) to preserve the history and legacy of those who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. Because membership in the GAR was restricted to those who had served in the Union, members created the Sons of Veterans organization to carry on their work once the GAR no longer existed.
In 1925 the organization changed its name to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, commonly abbreviated as SUVCW. Because the marker is inscribed with a “SV,” it most likely dates from between the late nineteenth century and until the organization’s name change in 1925.
Chartered by Congress in 1954, SUVCW is recognized as the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic. The SUVCW national headquarters is located in the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. The organization is recognized as one of five allied orders of the GAR including Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic; Woman’s Relief Corps; Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Many GAR posts sponsored camps of the SV. Like GAR posts, SV camps were numbered and named after veterans. Based in Ephrata, SV Camp Number 74 was named after Sergeant Benjamin Franklin Hull (1833-1866) of Ephrata. The sponsoring GAR post may have been Post 487 from Mount Joy, organized in 1886 and disbanded in 1931. Although SUVCW Camp Number 74 is no longer active, Lancaster’s own Camp Number 19 named for General George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga” continues to honor the memory of Union veterans through various public programs and preservation efforts, including a Memorial Day remembrance service each year at the Lancaster Cemetery GAR section.
Memorial Plaque, Sundial
Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) placed this curved bronze plaque on a memorial column and sundial in Buchanan Park as part of the proceedings of the 65th annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania, held between June 7 and June 14, 1931. The formal presentation of the sundial was made on June 8 by Mrs. Ida Dorsey of Scranton, state president of the DUVCW. J. Marie Hammond and Dorothy Jane Rohrer, two granddaughters of local veterans, unveiled the sundial. Two Civil War veterans—Washington F. Hambright of Lancaster and Assistant Adjutant General Samuel F. Town of Philadelphia—delivered acceptance addresses.
Established in 1885, the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War established the Department of Pennsylvania in 1913. During the 1930s, individual chapters (called tents) donated sundials to cities throughout the United States. These were usually located in parks or close to government buildings. The organization was federally chartered on Dec. 9, 1985 and is still active today with national headquarters in Springfield, IL. Today, the Department of Pennsylvania consists of 12 tents, the closet located in York. Other area tents include Harrisburg, Gettysburg, and Philadelphia.
As part of the same GAR annual encampment, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) erected a flat bronze tablet bearing the likeness of Abraham Lincoln and the text of his Gettysburg address on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Penn Square on the occasion of their 51st annual encampment. While the column and sundial in Buchanan Park are no longer there, the bronze tablet honoring the memory of Lincoln can still be found on the east side of the Monument. The plaque is placed so that when reading it you are facing west toward the town of Gettysburg.

Memorial Plaque, Honor Roll Date of Dedication
This brass plaque bearing the date of January 28, 1945 marked the date of dedication of a military service honor roll originally placed at the corner of Hamilton and North Franklin streets. That memorial honored the 27 men and women from the 500, 600, and 700 blocks of Hamilton Street and the 600 block of North Franklin Street then serving in the armed forces during World War II. According to an article that appeared in the that Intelligencer Journal on January 31, 1945, the Reverend George W. Brown of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church gave the invocation. David B. Ganse served as master of ceremonies. The dedication ceremony included a presentation by Harold G. Hamilton. Mrs. Claudia Stauffer and Mrs. Frank Kern unveiled the plaque accepted by George W. Hardy. The Drum and Bugle Corps of McCaskey High School provided by music. Reverend J.C. Raezer of St. Andrew’s Reformed Church gave the benediction.

The plaque itself is no longer located at this intersection and its whereabouts remains unknown. Fortunately, an article that appeared in the Intelligencer Journal included the name of those inscribed on the plaque. In honor of those individuals their names are reproduced below.
600 Block of North Franklin Street
1. Ralph M. Barley
2. Walter C. Robinson
3. Harold C. Rummel
4. Gladys M. Smith
500 Block of Hamilton Street
5. John F. Carlin
6. Charles A. Corbett
7. John K. Fritz
8. George W. Hardy
9. August Haug
10. Ivan K. Longenderfer
11. Charles J. Powers
12. Richard W. Tshudy
600 Block of Hamilton Street
13. Richard G. Black
14. Eugene L. Cowan
15. John F. Cowan 25. Robert E. Johns
16. Kenneth D. Draude 26. David G. Lutz, Jr.
17. Carson B. Haines 27. William C. Ruhl
18. Richard E. Hershey
19. Franklin S. Kern
20. Richard P. Leaman
21. George A. Mark, Jr.
22 Fred H. Stauffer (deceased)
23.William J. Steedman, Jr.
700 Block of Hamilton Street
24. Richard L. Johns
25. Robert E. Johns
26. David G. Lutz, Jr.
27. William C. Ruhl
Grave markers and memorial plaques are used to commemorate people, places, or events. They provide a way for loved ones to honor the memory of a person or to serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have come before us. Although these markers and plaques may no longer be in their original locations, the information and symbolism on them provide an important connection to the past and an understanding of the culture that produced them.
From Object Lessons